June 25th

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah and named it Ebenezer, for he said, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” 1 Samuel 7:12

there,
between the mountain
we thought we couldn’t climb
and the valley which frightens us
because it is filled with shadows.
there,
on those stony roads which
cause bruises up to our souls,
and the paths covered with the dust
of those dreams turned to ashes.
there,
where the storms washed away
those hopes which had sustained generations
and in the tiny seeds planted in cups
by children who believe in miracles.
there,
we build our cairns of mercy
so others know they are
not alone on their journey.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 24th

“’What profit is there in my death,
   if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
   Will it tell of your faithfulness?’” Psalm 30:9

if there is no more breath,
if the songs are stilled,
if the whispers fall away,
what is the point?
i have never heard
a hole in the ground
offer hallelujahs, nor
bones sing in 4-part harmony,
and stillness is no more
a promise keeper than a rock.
so,
don’t let go of us,
not because we are deserving,
but because we are
still struggling
to learn the tunes,
to memorize the lyrics,
to sing in unison,
while dust never breaks
its vow of silence.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 23rd

“The Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.” Psalm 145:17

too often, it seem your goodness
is playing hide and seek with us,
when our cries for peace echo back
or when the promise of justice
turns out to be just idle gossip.
then—
when we are too alone
a stranger offers a weary smile
while holding open a door,
grace comes like a stunning sunset,
a chair is pulled out
to welcome us at a table,
mercy curls up in our souls.
and we discover once again
that while we may not see your hand,
your fingerprints are all over
the compassion offered to the forgotten,
the hope given without conditions,
the quiet faithfulness of a friend,
and we once more lean
into your steadfast love
which is always beside us.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

June 22nd

"Then they arrived at the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on shore, a man from the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had not worn any clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.” Luke 8:26-27

we know what it is like
to live in that far country
our Sunday School teachers
warned us about,
that other side of the tracks
where we are so broken,
so bruised, so damaged by life
we no longer know who we are.
where we wander among the tombstones
of fear, of anger, of grudges, of loneliness.
where those voices constantly whisper,
‘you’re worthless
you’re right where you belong
no one is coming to help you.’
then a boat lands, and you
step out on the shore, coming
to meet us, not flinching, but
simply asking our name,
and reminding us
there is no country too far
no one so lost
no damage so severe
that grace will not find us.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: Thom-Shuman

June 21st

"On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul." Psalm 138:3

most days when we call,
it is not with well-crafted,
well-rehearsed prayers,
but weary voices, cracking hearts,
and yet, you listen
you don’t ask us to buck up,
to become stronger people,
you gather us on your lap,
breathing hope into our emptiness,
planting seeds of grace
into the parched soil of our souls.
for it is not on mountaintops
looking for thunderclaps,
but in the valleys of fear
where we are,
and so with a whispered,
‘yes,’
you soothe our quaking lives,
so that today, we might
keep moving forward,
carrying your affirmation
like a candle lighting the way
so that we might not stumble.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: Thom-Shuman

June 20th

“they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Acts 2:45

the person on the corner
with the cardboard sign
asking for help—
why can’t we see her
as a sister desperate
for a meal, not a fix?
the busker with the music
case open at their feet—
how is it the assumption
becomes the proceeds are
simply going to a grifter,
not a brother trying to feed
some kids waiting at home?
could it be that,
even if we sold all our
possessions and goods,
we would believe that
we
are still the ones
who need the proceeds?

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: Thom-Shuman

June 19th

“For you do not give me up to Sheol,
   or let your faithful one see the Pit.” Psalm 16:10

in the pool filled with despair’s tears,
in the hollow of silent hearts,
in the hole dug by empty souls
where i have been tossed,
you whisper, ‘wherever you are,
I am.’
where anger tries to be the last word,
as the shadows try to barricade
the sun from drawing near,
when the thoughts of the grave
clenches my soul so tight,
i dare not breathe, you whisper,
‘even there, I am.’
you cradle me in your heart
as if i were as precious
to you as a sparrow,
simply because
i am.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: Thom-Shuman